A US-based think tank said in a report released on Thursday that North Korea might be getting ready to unveil a new submarine that is thought to be able to launch ballistic missiles.
In an address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden accused North Korea of blatantly breaching UN sanctions and cited the nation as one of the reasons to enhance global nuclear nonproliferation efforts.
North Korea Prepares Submarine Carrying Ballistic Missiles
In 2019, state media depicted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting a previously unreported submarine that was built under his special attention and that would be operational in the waters off the east coast. Analysts first noticed signs that at least one new submarine was being built in 2016.
State media at the time did not mention the submarine's weapons systems or the location or timing of the inspection, but analysts claimed the new ship's apparent size suggested it was intended to transport missiles, as per Express.
Analysts have argued over whether the alleged new missile submarine is a completely original design or if it is based on a modified Romeo Class submarine that North Korea first purchased from China in the 1970s before starting to manufacture them domestically.
North Korea tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in May from near Sinpo, where it maintains submarines and the necessary equipment for SLBM test-firings. This test was part of an extraordinary flurry of missile tests this year. In the midst of stalled denuclearization negotiations, observers claim North Korea has started preparations to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017, according to Reuters via MSN.
North Korea Denies Supplying Weapons to Russia
In addition, a North Korean defense official who wished to remain anonymous ordered the US to cease making careless comments and to be quiet, according to a story in the country's official media on Thursday.
As part of Moscow's efforts to alleviate the severe supply shortages in Ukraine that have been made worse by US-led export controls and sanctions, Biden administration officials earlier this month confirmed a declassified US intelligence assessment that stated Russia was currently buying arms from North Korea, including millions of artillery shells and rockets.
A few weeks after Moscow branded the US intelligence finding as fraudulent, North Korea released a declaration. Exporting weapons from North Korea to Russia would be against United Nations resolutions that forbid such activity, Click On Detroit reported.
The North Korean official emphasized that Pyongyang has never accepted the illegal sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council against the nation by the US and its vassal forces. An English translation of the statement given by North Korea quotes the official as saying that the export and import of military hardware is a legal privilege inherent to a sovereign state.
By accusing the US of causing the situation and criticizing the West's hegemonic agenda as a reason for Russia's military action in Ukraine to defend itself, North Korea has attempted to sever ties with Russia over its aggressiveness in the country.
The North Korean administration has also expressed interest in sending workers to the country's east to aid in the reconstruction of pro-Russian breakaway territories. Apart from Russia and Syria, North Korea was the only country to officially acknowledge Donetsk and Luhansk's independence in July, as per Global News.
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